Spaghetti Haitian (Kreyol) style

Spaghetti with sauce, as it’s mainly done in the states isn’t very big in Haiti. Instead spaghetti is often served “dry”. It’s usually cooked with some sort of meat and sometimes fish (smoke herring is most popular). Below is my recipe for spaghetti with shrimp Kreyol style. This is a very easy and quick dish to make which comes in handy when I’m pressed for time. From start to finish it takes about 30 minutes (including the time it takes to boil the spaghetti).

Preparations before cooking
*squeeze the lime onto the raw shrimp, add salt an pepper to taste and set aside.
*thinly slice one clove of garlic
*thinly slice shallots
*Cut tomato into quarters and remove seeds

1. Fill a large pot with water. Add salt and adobo (to taste), 1Tbs of olive oil, 1 garlic clove. Bring water to a boil. Once the water has started to boil, add spaghetti.

2. Cook spaghetti until it is “al dente”. Make sure not to overcook your spaghetti since you will return it to cook again. Drain the spaghetti and set it aside for later (make sure to remove the cooked garlic clove).

3. In a large skillet, add some olive (about 2 Tbs), once the oil is heated add the tomato which you should have de-seeded and cut in quarters. Cook the tomato until it can easily break apart. Make sure the heat is not too high or the tomato will burn quickly.

4. Add shrimp (and broth) and allow to cook until they are pink (make sure not to overcook the shrimp)

5. While the shrimp is cooking, add two Tbs of tomato paste, chopped garlic, and thyme. Allow this to cook for about 3 minutes (make sure not to allow the tomato paste to burn or it will turn black).

9. Add spaghetti (which was drained of all liquids earlier) and mix in with all of the ingredients. The spaghetti should be well coated with the tomato paste. Make sure to taste the spaghetti to ensure that the spices have also coated it well. If you find it bland, gradually add small amounts of adobo to your taste. Note**If you find that mixing the spaghetti is difficult, gradually add some more olive oil until it becomes easier (an extra Tbs at most should do).

10. Plate and serve. This can be eaten alone or with bread. Add some parmesan cheese if you like.